Flowering dogwood

Flowering dogwood: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Small tree or large shrub, here usually 4–6 m tall and as wide, with horizontal, tiered branches.

Leaves

Oval, 8–15 cm, with curved veins, opposite; fresh green, turning red to purplish red in autumn.

Flower

In May: a cluster of tiny greenish-yellow flowers surrounded by four large white or pink bracts with a notched tip.

Fruit

Glossy red oval berries in small clusters, from September until the birds have eaten them.

Roots

Shallow and finely branched: sensitive to drought, digging and being moved when older.

Bark

On older trees grey and cracked into small blocks, rather like crocodile skin.

Flowering: May · Plants: March–April and October–December · Pruning: June

Why grow it?

• A spectacular display in May, with white or pink bracts that stay attractive for weeks.
• Two seasons of interest: the spring flowers are followed by superb purplish-red autumn colour.
• The red autumn berries are a feast for blackbirds, thrushes and other birds.
• A small tree with a graceful, tiered shape that fits even a smaller garden.
• Bees visit the tiny flowers in the centre of the bracts.
• Attractive in winter too: the round flower buds sit like little buttons on the branches.

Flowering dogwood: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade; ideally morning sun and light shade during the hottest part of the day.
• Humus-rich, well-drained sandy or loamy soil, acid to neutral. It dislikes chalky soil.
• Normal, moisture-retentive soil: not bone dry and certainly not waterlogged.
• An airy spot where the leaves dry quickly: in a stuffy, damp corner it gets leaf spot.
• Allow 4–5 m as a specimen, away from large trees that take its water and light.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Normal

Size

6 m tall, 6 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Rhododendron: Likes the same acid, humus-rich soil and flowers at the same time.
• Pieris: Evergreen and acid-loving, with red young leaves in spring.
• Wood anemone: A white carpet under the tree in March–April, before it leafs out.
• Ferns: Fresh green underplanting in the light shade of the crown.
• Hosta: Large leaves at its feet, at their best in partial shade.

Flowering dogwood: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and October–December.

1. Plant in March–April or from October to December, when the soil is not frozen or waterlogged.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and mix the soil with leaf mould or ericaceous compost.
3. Set the root ball at the same depth as in the pot, or even a few centimetres higher: never deeper, as the roots are sensitive.
4. Firm the soil gently and, in a windy spot, add a short stake on the windward side.
5. Water in well straight away, even if it is raining.
6. Spread 5–7 cm of leaf mould or bark mulch around the base, keeping it off the trunk.

Care

Water

For the first three years, a large can of water every week in dry spells. Later, water too in dry summers: the shallow roots dry out quickly.

Feeding

In April, a layer of leaf mould or a little organic fertiliser for acid-loving plants. No lime.

Mulching

A permanent mulch keeps the roots cool and moist and stops you mowing or hoeing too close to the trunk.

Trunk

Do not damage the thin bark with the mower or strimmer: diseases get in through wounds.

Soil

Do not dig under the crown and do not plant anything with large roots right next to it.

Tip: Plant it where you can see the flowering branches in May from a window or the patio. If you want flowers soon, buy a grafted cultivar rather than a seedling.

Flowering dogwood: when to prune it?

Pruning months: June.

When: It hardly needs pruning. If something has to go, do it after flowering, in June.

How:

• Remove dead, diseased and damaged branches back to healthy wood.
• Cut out crossing or inward-growing branches at the base to keep the crown open.
• Keep the natural tiered shape: do not shorten branches or clip it into shape.
• Use sharp, clean secateurs or a saw and prune in dry weather.

Caution: Do not prune in early spring: it bleeds heavily then, and you also remove the flower buds.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

In October, pick ripe berries, remove the flesh and sow the stones straight away in a pot outdoors. They only germinate after a winter of cold, and seedlings take many years to flower.

Softwood cuttings

In June, take 10 cm cuttings from young shoots and put them in moist cutting compost under plastic. Success is not guaranteed: patience and warm, humid conditions are needed.

Layering

In spring, bend a low branch to the ground, lightly wound the bark and pin it under some soil. Sever it after a year.

Flowering dogwood: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −25 °C: it needs no protection in Belgian winters.
• The round flower buds form in autumn; a late frost in April can occasionally damage the flowers a little.
• Leave fallen leaves around the base as mulch, unless they were spotted: then clear them away.

Diseases and pests

• Leaf spot: Brown spots with a purple edge, sometimes dying twigs: a fungal disease that strikes mainly in a stuffy, damp spot. Clear up diseased leaves, cut out dead twigs and improve air circulation.
• Powdery mildew: White powder on the leaves in late summer. Watering in dry spells and keeping the crown open help; it is mostly cosmetic.
• Scorched leaf edges: Brown, curled edges in a hot, dry summer or in full midday sun. Mulch and water in good time.
• Few flowers: Too much shade, drought or a young seedling. Give more light and be patient; a grafted cultivar flowers sooner.

Through the year

• February: The round flower buds swell. Do not prune.
• March: Plant. Top up the mulch.
• April: Plant. Add leaf mould.
• May: Bracts in full bloom.
• June: Light pruning after flowering, only if needed.
• July: Water in dry spells.
• August: Water in dry spells. Watch for mildew.
• September: Red berries colour up. Birds come to feed.
• October: Purplish-red autumn colour. Plant.
• November: Plant. Clear up spotted leaves.
• December: Plant if the ground is not frozen.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Birds

Berries, seeds or insects as food, or a place to nest.

Did you know?

• What look like petals are actually four bracts: the real flowers are the small green knobs in the centre.
• The wood is very hard and dense. In the United States it was once used to make shuttles for weaving looms.
• In the US state of Virginia, flowering dogwood is both the official state tree and the state flower.